Mexican Caesar Salad

This is the classic Caesar salad with a Mexican flare. Fresh cilantro and toasted pepitas in the salad will transport you south of the border. Simple to make yet it will still please the most discriminating palate. This recipe will leave your guests most impressed with your cooking talents.

For this recipe, you will need the following:

• 1 French baguette, cut into ¾ inch cubes
• Garlic flavored olive oil for drizzling
• White truffle oil for drizzling (optional)
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 6 shots Worcestershire sauce
• 1 dash white vinegar
• Juice from ½ lemon
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ½ anchovies
• ½ bunch of cilantro
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ to ½ cup pepitas
• 1 ½ heads of Romaine lettuce, chopped
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. To make the croutons, place the cubed baguette on a baking sheet. Be sure not to cut them too small. Drizzle them with the garlic flavored olive oil. For more flavor, you can also drizzle white truffle oil with the garlic olive oil. Bake the croutons for about 10 minutes, until they are golden brown. You want them crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Next, place the egg yolk, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, white vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, anchovies, cilantro and olive oil in a food processor or blender. Blend until it’s smooth and creamy.

Place the chopped Romaine in a large bowl. Drizzle about a third of the dressing on the salad (save the rest for a later use). Drizzle more if you like a wetter salad, less if you want it drier. Add the pepitas and Parmesan and toss to coat. Add the croutons and toss lightly.

Enjoy!

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